See our list of First Round Judges to see who's evaluating these categories.

SOFTWARE CATEGORIES

Best Application Management Solution
Awards the infrastructure, technology or web hosting platform that best enables software as a service or a hosted application. Includes service-enabling solutions and or proprietary distribution solutions or platforms.

Best Asset Management Product or Service
Awards the product or service that best audits and manages software assets across a network environment.

Best Business Intelligence or Knowledge Management Solution
Awards the product or service that best facilitates the analysis of quantitative business data in order to enable business managers to make strategic decisions.

Best Business Process Automation Solution
Awards the best software program or service designed to enable business to be conducted electronically between partners and/or customers. Includes applications such as supply chain management, fulfillment, eProcurement, inventory, billing, partner relationships, exchanges, delivery facilitation and similar products.

Best Business Productivity Product or Service
Awards the best product or service designed to enhance efficiency across a wide range of business types. Products should improve business productivity, increase individual productivity or improve overall organizational efficiency. Includes contact managers, graphic/design programs, marketing automation tools, etc.

Best Business Software Product or Service
Awards the product or service that best exemplifies the value that software provides to business operations.

• Products nominated in this category may also be nominated in any other business category.

Best CAD/CAM/CAE/Electronic Design Automation Product
Awards the best product or service for computer-aided rendering or engineering of complex systems from concept to production.

Best Communication or Collaboration Solution
Awards the product or service that best facilitates individual or group interaction. Includes e-mail software, instant messaging software, translation services, voice-over-IP, groupware, etc. Also includes real-time conferencing and collaboration over the Internet.

Best Consumer Productivity Product or Service
Awards the product or service that most effectively assists individuals in a personal task. Examples include home reference, financial or legal applications, genealogy, home photo editing, travel, etc. Product cannot be primarily instructional.

• Word processing, spreadsheets or presentation software are not eligible for this category.

Best Content Management Solution
Awards the technology solution or platform that best adds value to content accessed or distributed by the enterprise or the end-user. Enables the creation, management and modification of information on the web, intranet, or other information resource. Includes content creation, categorization, workflow, publishing and delivery tools.

Best Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Solution
Awards the best software product or service designed to expand a company's knowledge about, and relationship with, its current or potential customers and/or partners. Includes CRM, PRM, SFA, marketing automation, personalization products and services.

Best Database Management Product or Service
Awards the best product or service for the storage, organization, management, search and retrieval of large quantities of data.

Best Digital Rights Management Solution: Software
Awards the product that best allows the secure electronic purchase and distribution of software and its subsequent use.

Best Distributed Computing Solution
Awards the product or service that best facilitates computing that pulls from various points on the network, across a heterogeneous network or the Internet. Includes P2P, distributed computing, utility computing, dynamic provisioning, etc.

Best Document Management Product or Service
Awards the best product or service for managing the document life cycle. Includes the processes of retrieving, sharing, tracking, revising, and distributing documents and the information they contain.

Best eCommerce Solution
Awards the software program or service that best facilitates eCommerce functions. Includes encryption, credit card payment and processing, micropayments, subscriptions, personalization tools, shopping carts, comparison bots, order forms, and delivery processes, as well as other innovative features.

Best Enterprise Search Engine
Awards the service that best brings relevant information to users through the use of "Web crawlers," "spiders," or "robots," and/or sophisticated indexing and abstracting tools. Includes site search. Licensed for use within corporate networks, intranets or portals.

Best Enterprise Security Solution
Awards the product or service that provides the best overall security solution for an enterprise or large network. This solution should include authentication, firewalls, virtual private networks, encryption, intrusion detection, policy-based management, managed services, anti-virus products, etc.

• Digital Rights Management Solutions should be nominated in Best Digital Rights Management Product or Service.
• Point solutions should be nominated in Best Security Product or Service.

Best Financial Product or Service
Awards software that automates business financial management. Includes AP/AR, general ledger, budgeting, resource allocation, reporting, etc.

Best Human Resources Product or Service
Awards software that automates any aspect of human resources management. Includes HRIS, benefits administration, recruiting, payroll, performance appraisal, asset management, etc.

Best Mobile Product or Service
Awards the best software application, software service or infrastructure solution that enables access to software functionality and boosts the productivity and adaptability of a mobile device, including small form factor devices and/or phones. Includes operating systems, infrastructure and network solutions.

• Websites are not eligible for this category.

Best Open Source Product or Service
Awards the best software product or service developed from source code in either the public domain or licensed according to an open source license. Includes operating systems, databases, applications, infrastructure, etc.

Best Security Product or Service
Awards the software product or service that best provides security to data, computers or infrastructure. Includes anti-virus products, firewalls, spam filters, encryption, privacy tools, intrusion detection, policy-based management, managed services, authentication, virtual private networks, etc.

• Comprehensive security solutions (suites) should be nominated in Best Enterprise Security Solution.

Best Software Component Product
Awards the best reusable software component for integration or use in commercial software development.

Best Software Development Product
Awards the best programming language, application or development tool(s) for software or online use. Includes toolkits, diagnostic programs, IDE, applet and plug-in development tools, database development programs, etc.

Best Software Service
Awards the best software service accessible through the Internet or an internal network. Includes any service managed by a provider and utilized by businesses over the Internet or an internal network (productivity applications, human resources, accounting, budgeting, sales force automation, Internet marketing & advertising services, transaction processes, etc.).

Best Software Testing Product or Service
Awards the best product or service developed to test the functionality of a software product or service or a segment of code.

Best Storage Software
Awards the best product or service that manages the remote storage of, retrieval and access to, information and data across networks. Includes SANs, storage infrastructure, NASs, backup and recovery, clustering, resource management and performance products.

Best Systems Management Solution
Awards the tool that best assists system administrators manage and monitor networks. Includes performance monitors, system management, load-balancing tools, user analysis tools, web site administration utilities, caching software and content delivery networks.

Best Vertical Market Product or Service
Awards the best product or service developed for a specific vertical market. Includes products designed to meet the unique needs of a vertical market (healthcare, construction, restaurants, etc.).

• Education Technology products should be nominated in the education technology categories.

Best Web Services Solution
Awards the product or service that best connects disparate applications and data across an enterprise or between enterprises using web services standards. Includes Web services enabling technologies, infrastructure, middleware, system integration tools, etc.

CONTENT CATEGORIES

Best Content Aggregation Service
Awards the best service that combines third-party content for distribution for wholesale or retail markets. Services may be directed toward other sites and services or directly toward end-users. Aggregated content must include primarily non-news sources. Includes business publications, journals, periodicals, company information, etc.

Best Mobile Content Service
Awards the best content service specifically for mobile devices including PDAs, phones and other wirelessly-connected devices.

Best Online Business Information Service: non-News
Awards the best online service that delivers comprehensive company, business and/or industry information. Includes company profiles, financial data, analyst reports, niche business oriented publications, market research, etc.

Best Online Consumer Information Service
Awards the best online service and/or website with specific focus on information targeted toward individuals, consumers, hobbyists, and home users. Includes travel, sports, consumer medical reference, tax preparation, etc.

Best Online Government Information Service
Awards the online service that best utilizes information in the public domain. Includes services whose primary content source(s) include: legislative, regulatory and legal content; public record databases, government reports and data, including information on tax laws and regulations.

Best Online News Service
Awards the best online service focused on current awareness of news. Service must clearly be focused on the delivery of real-time news. Includes original and comprehensive coverage of current business news and issues.

Best Online Professional Financial Information Service
Awards the best online service providing financial or market data information and/or news for professional markets, including trading, small business and high-end individuals utilizing professional services. Includes real-time market data, financial news services, market indices and analysis, credit services, company information and commentary relating to stocks, bonds and markets.

Best Online Reference Service
Awards the online service that best packages reference information. Includes encyclopedias, maps, etc. for home, education or business use.

Best Online Science or Technology Service
Awards the online service that best conveys information to a scientific or technology market. Includes journals, chemical properties data, computer technology, geophysical data, patents, standards and specifications, technical papers and reports.

Best Solution Integrating Content into an Application
Awards the best product, service, or application integrating content into a workflow application such as CRM, ERP, accounting, or sales forecasting, planning and analysis. Can be nominated as an end-user application or service or as a customized solution using APIs or other links into content.

Best Vertical Market Business Content Solution
Awards the online service that best serves a specific vertical or niche market or audience. Includes online trade publications.

EDUCATION CATEGORIES

Best Elementary Education Instructional Solution: Language Arts/Reading
Awards the best school-based education technology solution for language arts/reading curriculum and content for students in grades K-6.

Best Elementary Education Instructional Solution: Mathematics
Awards the best school-based education technology solution for mathematics curriculum and content for students in grades K-6.

Best Elementary Education Instructional Solution: Other Content Areas
Awards the best education technology solution for students in grades K-6 in curriculum areas other than mathematics or language arts/reading. Includes social studies, science, health, art, music, technology or multi-disciplinary topics.

• Product may not be nominated in Best Elementary Education Instructional Solution: Mathematics.
• Product may not be nominated in Best Elementary Education Instructional Solution: Language Arts/Reading.

Best Secondary Education Instructional Solution: Language Arts/English
Awards the best school-based education technology solution for Language Arts/English curriculum or content for students in grades 7-12.

Best Secondary Education Instructional Solution: Mathematics
Awards the best school-based education technology solution for mathematics curriculum and content for students in grades 7-12.

Best Secondary Education Instructional Solution: Other Content Areas
Awards the best education technology solution for students in grades 7-12 in curriculum areas other than mathematics or language arts/reading. Includes business education, social studies, science, health, art, music, technology or multi-disciplinary topics.

• Product may not be nominated in Best Secondary Education Instructional Solution: Mathematics.
• Product may not be nominated in Best Secondary Education Instructional Solution: Language Arts/English.

Best Postsecondary Education Instructional/Curriculum Solution
Awards the best postsecondary technology solution for curriculum and content that is specifically targeted toward students in college learning environments, including undergraduate and graduate level courses.

Best Education Instructional Solution for Special Needs Students
Awards the best instructional product specifically designed to benefit students with unique educational needs, including physical or learning disabilities.

• This category is for content/curriculum products. Instructional Management products directed toward special needs students should be nominated in Best Classroom Instructional Management Solution.
• ESL products should be nominated in Best Instructional Solution for English Language Learners.

Best Instructional Solution for English Language Learners
Awards the best product specifically designed to benefit students with limited English proficiency or students studying English as a Second Language (ESL).

Best Web-Based Instructional Solution
Awards the best educational website designed to provide informational, instructional or content support for K-12 students, teachers and administrators.

Best Business Administration System: Education Enterprises
Awards the best business management tool that supports education enterprises at K-12 and postsecondary levels. Includes transportation, human resources, security, food services, etc.

Best Classroom Instructional Management Solution
Awards the best instructional management system designed for K-12 or postsecondary educators. Includes diagnostic and remediation programs, data management and reporting tools, standards alignment tools and packages that link data and resources to instruction.

Best Corporate Learning Technology Solution
Awards the best technology platform, service or provider that supports the continuing education of corporate employees via electronic means. Includes content development, delivery and packaging and Learning Management Systems (LMS).

Best Education Technology Solution for Productivity/Creativity
Awards the best software tool for students, educators or administrators for document creation, graphics design, work organization, problem solving or web development.

Best Education Technology Solution for Students at Home
Awards the education technology solution that best extends traditional learning into the home.

Best Gradebook or Student Information System for K-12 or Postsecondary
Awards the best student information system or gradebook designed for K-12 and postsecondary educators and administrators.

Best Handheld Education Solution
Awards the best education solution, either curriculum or administrative, designed for handhelds, PDAs and other mobile devices.

Best Interoperability Product for Schools
Awards the best education technology product that supports the exchange of data or content for instructional or administrative use.

Best Postsecondary Education Learning Management Solution
Awards the best postsecondary technology solution with content development and knowledge management tools to build undergraduate and graduate level courses.

Best Professional Development Product or Service for Educators
Awards the best education technology product or service designed to support professional development in K-12 or postsecondary settings.

Best Student Test Preparation or Assessment Solution
Awards the best computer-based or online solution for diagnostic assessments or preparation for high-stakes tests for K-12 content.

CORPORATE CATEGORIES

Corporate Achievement Award
Awards a business or corporation that enhances the overall development of the software and information industry. Nominees must illustrate how the company’s product or service has changed the industry’s operations, perspective or business models. Nominated companies must show a solid commitment to supporting the growth of the industry as a whole.

Content Newcomer of the Year
Awards a new information company whose product or service has the potential for significant impact on information aggregation, functional use or distribution in any category, either through technological advancement or new business models.

Education Newcomer of the Year
Awards a new education technology company whose product or service has the potential for significant impact on student, teacher or administrative markets within preK-16, either through technological advancement or new business models.

Software Newcomer of the Year
Awards a new software or software services company whose product or service has the potential for significant impact on the industry, either through technological advancement or new business models.

Excellence in Giving Award
Recognizes software and information companies' philanthropic commitment to communities as demonstrated by their product giving programs.